What is a Digital Marketing Strategist?
With the digital world going increasingly complicated, none of the businesses can survive or scale nowadays only with some random posts on social media and hoping that SEO efforts would do their magic. That’s where a Digital Marketing Strategist goes in to create, maintain, and optimize coordinated marketing strategies.
During this article, we will look in depth at what a Digital Marketing Strategist is, what skills he or she needs, what he or she does, and why this position is so crucial to any business that aims at winning in today’s competitive digital space.
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What does a Digital Marketing Strategist do?
A digital marketing strategist is responsible for a company’s overall design of the digital marketing plan. They put together all aspects of digital marketing into one cohesively sound strategy in the pursuit of business objectives. Be it creating awareness, generating leads, or driving sales, the strategist will draft a plan to ensure every digital marketing effort serves the broader objective.
Instead of drilling down into a single channel, like social media or content, a digital marketing strategist takes a top-of-funnel look at the landscape from search engine optimization (SEO) and paid ads to email marketing and influencer collaborations. They are in charge of the “big picture,” making sure all of the pieces fit together to create an effective and efficient marketing strategy.
Related Article: How to Become a Digital Marketing Strategist: 10 Step-by-Step Guide
Key Responsibilities of a Digital Marketing Strategist
Following are some of the key responsibilities that a digital marketing strategist handles, which would include most, if not all, of the following activities, integral to the online success of any business:
1. Creating a Digital Marketing Plan The chief responsibility of a digital marketing strategist is to devise a roadmap for implementing the concerns of a company in terms of its digital marketing. This includes defining major goals a business wants to attain, establishing the target audience, and understanding what digital channels will reach this audience. This strategy also sets the timeline, budget, and key performance indicators (KPIs) for tracking success.
A good strategist fits his plan according to the needs of the company. In other words, an e-commerce business may focus most of the time on SEM and social media ads, while a service business that is locally based may focus more on SEO and optimization of Google My Business.
2. Audience Research and Segmentation Any marketing strategy needs to know your target audience and know what pushes them. A digital marketing strategist deeply researches consumer behavior, preferences, pain points, and demographics. They use Google Analytics, Facebook Insights, and customer surveys to source data about the audience.
This data will then be used for audience segmentation into either interest-based, behavioral, or location-based groups that would warrant different approaches. For instance, a company may have one audience segment interested in technical content, while another would be looking for product reviews or user-generated content.
3. SEO and Content Strategy SEO is a part of the very core of any digital marketing strategy. A digital marketing strategist makes sure the company website and content are optimized for Google and other search engines so that the business pops up higher when key terms are being searched for.
SEO is not just a bunch of technical changes on a website but also involves content strategy. The strategist cooperates with the content team in creating blog posts, infographics, videos, and others to make sure they are relevant and of value to the target audience, yet at the same time optimized for great rankings in search engines. Keyword research, backlink strategies, and on-page SEO are all under one umbrella.
4. Paid Advertising or PPC Strategy While the organic efforts of SEO take time to yield results, paid advertising gives immediate visibility. The digital marketing strategist develops and manages pay-per-click advertising across search engines, including Google Ads, Facebook Ads, and LinkedIn. They will design ad copy, decide on target audiences, and set the budgets.
They also monitor performance to know if the return on investment of the ads is good. Depending on the results, they may adjust targeting, bids, or messaging to optimize performance.
5. Social Media Strategy Social media helps create brand awareness and engage customers while driving website traffic. A digital marketing strategist would, therefore, establish and implement plans for social media campaigns on several channels including Instagram, Twitter, LinkedIn, and TikTok. This would entail creating a content calendar and establishing the tone of voice before discerning when the data says the best times to post are and what kind of content most resonates with the audience.
This also involves paid social campaigns, collaborations with influencers, and monitoring various platforms for better performance to reach the target audience.
6. Email Marketing Campaigns At present, email is one of the best digital marketing channels that helps nurture leads and drive conversions. A digital marketing strategist elaborates on email marketing campaigns in such a way that these have to captivate subscribers, establish a relationship with them, and convert leads into customers.
It involves listing email lists, preparing personalized messages for target recipients, and keeping track of email campaign results. They are in charge of ensuring that any emails being sent out comply with regulations like GDPR and CAN-SPAM.
7. Analytics and Reporting One of the most critical activities that a digital marketing strategist undertakes is measuring a marketing campaign’s effectiveness. To track KPIs related to website traffic, conversion rates, click-through rate (CTR), and return on ad spend (ROAS), they employ analytical tools such as Google Analytics, HubSpot, or SEMrush.
This strategist will then present reports to the management, based on these metrics, mentioning what is going right, what needs improvement, and what needs to be changed in order to match the overall strategy. This constant optimization will keep one ahead in the fast world of digital.
Related Reading: For more in-depth insights, check out our Digital Marketing Success: 5 Must-Take Free Courses & Key Types.
Core Skills a Digital Marketing Strategist Should Possess
To be highly effective as a digital marketing strategist, the skill set should include analytical, creative, and technical in a bundle. The core competencies that enable someone to become a successful strategist are listed below:
1. Data Analysis and Interpretation One of the important skills required from a digital marketing strategist is to analyze data and come up with actionable insight. They should be aware of what metrics to track and how to read those numbers to fine-tune the marketing strategy. Be it performance tracking of an ad campaign or analyzing website traffic-data comfort is not an option.
2. SEO and SEM Expertise A digital marketing strategist has to understand in detail SEO and SEM. They must be aware of keyword research, on-page SEO techniques, strategies for building links, and the exact algorithms used by search engines when ranking content. They also need to know how to manage paid searches and optimize them accordingly for improved performance.
3. Content Creation and Strategy The strategist, while probably not leading content creation, has to know about content marketing well enough to brief their teams. That includes planning content calendars, setting goals on different types of content, and making sure everything fits into the overall marketing strategy, from blogs down to every social post.
4. Social Media Acumen: Being abreast of the latest with regard to various social media networks would be a critical aspect. A strategist must know how to use social networks in implementing organic and paid campaigns, observing performance that could be amended according to the requirements that each one demands. Every social media platform has its quirks, and it is by being aware of them that one will ensure the content reaches the right audience.
5. Paid Advertising-PPC The knowledge for running paid advertising across search engines like Google Ads, social networks like Facebook, and even LinkedIn, is of prime importance. Digital marketing strategists should know how to build an ad, determine the most viable bidding strategies, and monitor performance to make sure the ads return a positive ROI.
6. Project Management Skills: Digital marketing campaigns have many moving parts. A digital marketing strategist is also a project manager who coordinates different teams, including content, design, and SEO, among others; he sets deadlines and ensures project flow.
7. Creativity and Problem-Solving Digital marketing is both an art and a science. While one has to analyze data, it is creativity that makes the difference between good and great strategy. A digital marketing strategist needs to think outside the box in creating compelling campaigns and solving problems in innovative ways.
8. Communication and Leadership: A digital marketing strategist bridges the gap in communications between the content, design, and IT departments. Strong communication and leading skills ensure commonality in people regarding the marketing strategy and that campaigns run smoothly.
Why Your Business Needs a Digital Marketing Strategist
A digital marketing strategist is indispensable for any company size. Since the Web has so blurred the line between visibility and invisibility, having an effective, clear-cut digital strategy simply became a must. Here’s why every business needs a digital marketing strategist:
They Present a United Vision Without a strategist, businesses often have fragmented digital marketing efforts. One team may focus on social media, another focuses on SEO; there’s simply no link between them. A digital marketing strategist provides a unified vision in such a way that all digital efforts work together seamlessly to achieve business goals.
They improve ROI. Poorly optimized campaigns can result in a great sum of wasted marketing dollars. A digital marketing strategist will make certain that every dollar spent on marketing goes to the most effective channels that improve the return on investment. Whether it is ad copy tweaking or shifting focus from one platform to another, strategists know how to have maximum impact with minimum waste.
They Help Companies Stay Competitive The digital landscape keeps on changing. What worked last year may not work today, and staying competitive means staying agile. A digital marketing strategist keeps up with the latest trends, tools, and algorithms so your business will always be at the cutting edge of digital marketing.
They Create Long-term Growth While most activities in marketing revolve around immediate successes, a digital marketing strategist takes a different course-a path that focuses on long-term success. They devise ways through which brand awareness is created, audiences are engaged, and lasting relationships are built to guarantee continuous growth in the future.
They Connect Marketing to Business Outcomes A digital marketing strategist will not just take into consideration metrics that concern only the department of marketing; instead, they will align those efforts to the overall goals of the company. Be it driving website traffic, increasing sales, or building a loyal customer base, the strategist makes sure every marketing effort has a reason behind its implementation.
Final Thoughts: Is a Digital Marketing Strategist Worth It?
Within this digital world, the Digital Marketing Strategist could be a real game-changer in business. Being able to strategize and manage, or optimize, all marketing efforts across all channels will enable the company to stay competitive, maximize ROI, and attain long-term growth.
If your business is faced with the overwhelming task of figuring out the kinks of digital marketing, now may be the time to invest in a digital marketing strategist- somebody who can provide the strategic vision and tactical know-how to help you succeed in today’s digital world.
